In this episode, Andrew Reich interviews Abby Kohn & Marc Silverstein (Never Been Kissed; He’s Just Not That Into You) regarding their dead pilot, Adulting. You'll also listen to a live table read of Adulting, performed by some of today's funniest comedic actors.

Do you want to come see Dead Pilots Society Live?! You can! Our next live show is on June 23rd, 2017 at Dynasty Typewriter at The Hayworth! We’ll be reading pilots from:

For more Dead Pilot Society episodes and information about our live show, please subscribe to the podcast! Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram @deadpilotspod, on twitter @deadpilotspod, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com.

In this episode of Dead Pilots Society, Ben Blacker interviews Samantha McIntyre (Married, Bored to Death) regarding her dead pilot, Rollerworld. You'll also listen to a never-before-heard live table read of Rollerworld performed by some of today's funniest comedic actors.

John Waters is a director who hasn't made a movie in over a decade, and he doesn't really plan to make any more. He's directed some absolute classics like Pink Flamingos, Cry-Baby and probably most notably Hairspray. But even though he's not making movies he's keeping busy - he's done a ton of live performances, released a few compilation albums and he's a published author, too. He's written about half a dozen books, his latest is called Make Trouble. It's an illustrated transcript of a commencement speech he gave in 2015. He's also an actor - he played director William Castle in the latest season of FX's Feud, he even had a cameo in one of those Alvin and the Chipmunks movies.

This week, John and Jesse talk about how he keeps the motivation to work, even after he has achieved so much in his career. They talk about trigger warnings, and John tells Jesse why he was never interested in school.

Andy Kindler is a stand up comedian. He's also kind of the ombudsman for comedy. Every year since 1996, Andy's taken the stage at the Just for Laughs Festival to give what he calls the State of the Industry speech. Andy gets in front of a giant crowd of stand-ups and industry types and basically puts them all on blast. And it's given Andy a reputation as being sort of a comic's comic. Of course, it's also really, really funny - it gets a huge crowd every year.

Andy and Jesse talk about the hardest part of giving that State of the Industry speech- staying funny while being angry. They also talk about hack comedians of the 1980's and 90's and racism in the industry. Plus, Andy blesses us with very accurate impressions of some of your favorite comics.

Jemaine Clement on Fighting, Flight of the Conchords, and Comic Drama in People Places Things

Jemaine Clement’s upbringing in a small community in New Zealand could have led him to career making cookies or cheese. Instead he found a way to transform his sense of humor into a career making other stuff -- things like music and comedy.
Along with his partner, Bret McKenzie, he is a member of musical comedy duo, Flight of the Conchords which aired as a television show for two seasons on HBO. Clement has also written and produced with McKenzie and other longtime collaborators on movies like What We Do in the Shadows.
Clement join us to talk about working in the comic drama People Places Things, his early comedic influences back in New Zealand, the challenges he faced producing a television show, and how the word “grommet” resulted in his last physical altercation.

Photo: Jesse Thorn

Jonathan Ames on Valets, Questing and 'Blunt Talk'

Jonathan Ames is a writer who has earned a reputation for ruthless honesty when writing about his own life and those of his fictional characters. Whether the topic is alcoholism, sexuality or depression, Ames’ books and television projects delve deeply into what it means to be human, with wit and care.
Ames created the beloved HBO show Bored to Death. Now, he's the creator and showrunner of the new Starz show Blunt Talk, featuring Patrick Stewart as cable news host Walter Blunt.
Blunt Talk is in its second season and airs Sunday nights at 8:30 est on the Starz network.
Ames sat down with Jesse to talk about how he came to create his new show, why he's obsessed with the "valet", and why his characters are constantly "questing" with greater purpose.

In this pilot episode of Dead Pilots Society, Ben Blacker interviews Thomas Lennon & Robert Ben Garant (Reno 911, The State, The Night At The Museum Films) regarding their dead pilot, Formosa. You'll also listen to a never-before-heard live table read of Formosa performed by some of today's funniest comedic actors like:

In this pilot episode of Dead Pilots Society, Ben Blacker interviews Andrew Reich (Friends, Rules of Engagement, creator of Dead Pilots Society) regarding his dead pilot, Laurel and Holly. You'll also listen to a never-before-heard live table read of Laurel and Holly, performed by some of today's funniest comedic actors like:

Chuck Klosterman on consuming culture on the Internet and how the present will be perceived in the future

Chuck Klosterman has written countless articles for GQ, ESPN, The Washington Post, Esquire, The Guardian and more. His new book, But What if We’re Wrong, examines how the present will be perceived it as the past. What exactly will be thought of as important events to people that are hundreds of years removed from it all? Is it even possible to get every fact correct when writing about the past?

Klosterman sits down with Jesse to talk about how we consume culture, how historians frequently reinterpret historical events, and how writing online and writing for print are fundamentally different undertakings.

Though most people find it difficult to find anything funny about depression and anxiety, comedian Aparna Nancherla. has used her own struggles with mood disorders to inspire her comedy. A rising star in the comedy world, Nancherla bravely reveals her struggles with depression in a way that makes the experience both relatable and hilarious.

Named by Variety as one of the Top 10 Comics to Watch in 2016, Nancherla has appeared as a performer on Conan and Inside Amy Schumer. She's also written for Late Night with Seth Meyers and Totally Biased with Kamau Bell.

Nancherla sat down with Jesse to talk about about her experiences living with anxiety and depression, the ups and downs of writing comedy for television and how she deals with hecklers on Twitter.

As with any established musical genre, there is a quality of sameness that can pervade artists. It’s no less so in the world of hip-hop. But Clams Casino (born Michael Volpe) provides a unique and surprising voice in that world. As an electronic musician and music producer, he has created a distinctive body of work of his own as well through his collaborations with artists including ScHoolboy Q, FKA Twigs and Vince Staples.

Clams Casino joined Jesse to talk about the influences that lead to his unique sound, and some of the ways he paid his dues coming up in the world of hip-hop production. They also discuss his new album, 32 Levels, and how he developed his relationship with rapper Lil’ B. The two of them have long been collaborators, including on the new album, but didn’t really get to know each other until making of the new record.